Police say the unarmed security guard who first found the Las Vegas gunman was a hero who played an ‘absolutely critical’ role that night

The door to Stephen Paddock’s room after a SWAT unit used explosives to gain entry.

source

Bild exclusive/Polaris

A security guard wounded when he approached Stephen Paddock’s room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Sunday night is being credited with distracting the gunman, possibly stopping him from continuing to shoot at crowds near the Las Vegas Strip, 32 floors below, a Las Vegas law-enforcement official said on Friday.

The security guard, Jesus Campos, was released from the hospital on Thursday.

Campos was patrolling the halls of the hotel and was responding to reports of a “door alarm,” Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said.

Once Campos got to the shooter’s floor, he found the stairwells barricaded. As Campos neared the gunman’s room, he was shot in the upper right thigh.

Paddock, who was armed with a cache of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, had “fired through the door, striking Mr. Campos,” said David Hickey, the president of the hotel’s security-guard union. Police later discovered that Paddock had set up cameras in the hallway to monitor activity outside his room.

“He notified his dispatch, which was absolutely critical to us, knowing the location, as well as advising the responding officers as they arrived,” McMahill said of Campos.

“I can tell you that this was a remarkable effort by a brave and remarkable man,” McMahill continued. “I want to say today that I don’t think we’ve done a good enough job recognizing him and his actions … He’s an absolute hero.”

Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said in a press conference on Wednesday that he saw what looked to be about 200 rounds of bullets fired through the door of Paddock’s room. It was “amazing that the security guard didn’t sustain additional injury,” he said.

Paddock may have stopped shooting at the crowd near the Las Vegas Strip because Campos approached his room, McMahill said.

“His bravery was amazing because he remained with our officers, providing them the key pass to access the door, and continued to help them clear rooms until our officers demanded he seek medical attention,” Lombardo said.